Junior BInyam: We want to have Somalia back to its normality.

Mareeg.com-CAF Media director, Junior Binyam, has praised Somali FA for doing a better job that is not even done in some countries with less challenge.

Mr. Binyam, was addressing via skype at the launching of media training workshop for local football writers on Sunday 13th of August. After his address, Mr. Binyam answered several questions asked by journalists who attended the workshop.

BELOW IS BINYAM’S ADDRESS:

I would like to praise the initiative taken by the Somali football federation to support local journalists by giving them high profile trainings. I think this is the second edition.

Somalia was and will remain one of the strong houses of football in Africa. Some of you may certainly know that for many many years CAF first vice president was Mr. Farah Addo who was one of the key persons in the development of referees in Africa. He was one of the key and most experienced administrators we ever had in Africa and most of people today benefit from his legacy for what he did for football in Africa.

The first official visit by CAF president, Ahmed Ahmed, was done to Somalia, just for you to have an idea of how Somalia is important for African football today and we want to have that country back to its normality.

Despite the difficulties in Somalia, we welcome all the efforts made by the Somalia FA president Abdiqani Said Arab and his team over the years to make sure that despite a very tough environment the ball is still rolling. Because there are some countries who are still under challenges to be able to play football, but in Somalia there is a league normally going on with a number of footballers from abroad involve.

Football is part of the solution to problems some countries are facing, because football is all about peace, football is all about bringing people together, football is all about creating friendship. It is really impressing for you to do a better job in such difficult environment. We have federations with less challenge which are not able to do what your federation is doing towards you by bringing you those opportunities of training, by bringing you those capacity building programs, so you should really support the initiatives of the FA.

Supporting the initiatives of the FA doesn’t mean that anyone is asking you to contravene the principles of your work. The principles of your work are all about telling the truth, telling what you see, telling what is happening around you, so when I am asking you to support your federation is just giving more time to covering the tremendous football development in your country.

It is mandatory for you as journalists to report what is happening, but it is your contribution to make things look better for your own country, because this country is usually related to bomb blasts, but there is another life going on in Somalia.

As expressed by the head of state of Somalia, by the prime minister during the visit by CAF president, it is a hope for all of us to have international football back in Somalia and we do hope that in the weeks, the months and the years to come conditions will get better in Somalia. You have to remember that it was asked by CAF president that the national stadium should be freed, should be given back to who it was dedicated, I mean the football. That stadium hasn’t been used for football for many years. Now the time has come to get it back to the football.